Lifestyle Medicine Week 2023 is Sunday 21 May  to Saturday 26 May. LMWeek is a global, annual, week-long celebration that focuses on six key pillars of lifestyle medicine: stress management, physical activity, nutrition, quality sleep, avoidance of risky substances, and social connection.  Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine provides effective prevention for chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and when used intensively, can reverse such conditions.  Each day of the week will address a certain pillar and provide a framework for individuals to learn more about healthy lifestyle habits and to take action to improve their own health.

We will kick off LMWeek with the pillar of stress management. 

Not all stress is bad for us; in fact, some stress can be helpful for completing important projects, studying for an exam, speaking in public, or accomplishing challenging goals.

On the other hand, distress or negative stress is the type of stress that can cause short- or long-term anxiety, decreased performance and lead to poor mental and physical health.  Chronic stress is common, and has made it more difficult to practice healthy lifestyle habits and can exacerbate health issues such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, weight gain, etc. Chronic stress can cause poorer overall quality of life, decreased job and school performance, and lead to mental and physical health issues.

Distress can be caused by many factors that differ for everyone.

Stress management is an important component of care in working towards whole-person health.  It is important to recognize the things in your life that cause distress, so you can come up with a plan to manage or cope with or view situations differently.  There are many things that can help manage stress and improve overall health.

Look at events or triggers from a different angle. Consider “Is there another way to look at this situation?” and remember it’s not helpful to focus on what cannot be changed. Try to improve your mood by looking at what is going well in life. Focus on your accomplishments or what you have overcome.

What else can you try?  Such things as planning ahead, budgeting, leaving earlier from work, and being proactive sometimes help to reduce preventable stress.

Other things that can help manage stress?  Schedule time to meet up with friends and family, keep a gratitude journal, get outside, do some physical activity that you enjoy, make time for self-care.

However, if you are suffering from stress, you don’t have to do it on your own. If you need help, talk to your GP or check out a number of resources available online or in your community.

One tip on how not to manage stress:  Avoid misusing alcohol for stress management.  While it does provide temporary sense of well-being, it often leads to rebound anxiety the next day.  Alcohol misuse can also cause low mood and poor sleep.